Sunday Gospel Comment
Alberic Jacovone OSB
YEAR A FIFTH SUNDAY OF THE YEAR - 6.2.05 Is 58,7-10; 1 Cor 2,1-5; Mt 5,13-16 No boasting about ‘Salt & Light’ Salt
of the earth. It
would be a mistake, to read today’s Gospel totally separate from its context,
of last Sunday’s reading, the Beatitudes. We are, & are told to become, salt
of the earth & light shining on
lamp-stands for the whole world to see. And this, not as a vague Christian
conviction, but because being salt & light is the result of living the
spirit of the Beatitudes. When we
are: poor in spirit & gentle -
mourning & longing for justice - merciful & pure in heart - peacemaker
& yet persecuted for being peacemaker, then we are ‘salt & light”.
As followers of Jesus, we humbly accept conflict & calumny; in the
depth of our being however, we rejoice & are glad, because then we truly are
‘salt & light’ in the same mysterious way that Jesus chose for himself.
Yes, He humbled himself, chose to live poorly & died the shameful death on a
cross (Mel Gibson movie!). The uncanny twist is that the wisdom of “salt &
light” can be manipulated by people of a particular persuasion and can
degenerate into taking blunt, fundamentalist attitudes, aimed at destroying
others. The Beatitudes do indeed say that we as disciples of Jesus must expect
tribulations and even persecutions; but this does not mean that we should oppose
and force others to our point of view. Sadly, Christian history is full of
tragic events when individuals, sects & nations have condemned, attacked
& killed each other in the name of Christ, strongly believing to be “salt
& light”. Sadly even today , animosity among individuals & groups
divides the Church’s witness, as progressives & regressives deride &
belittle each other. In this mess, all sincere Christians, humbly try to live
out the teaching of Christ, who is - for believers of all time- salt &
light, pace & wisdom. (In Latin the word wisdom is ‘Sapientia’, a word
related to salt, to giving zest, tang, savouring, and exquisite taste &
meaning to life). Light if the world. We are called to be salt & light. Christ himself is light to enlighten all nations. Guerric of Igny, a French monk who lived in1100AD, has an insightful way to spell out how we are light for Christ. He wrote: ‘The Lord asks us to hold in our hands a lamp that shines out... Thus attired we advance to be enlightened by Christ. Indeed, do not so much carry a lamp, as become a lamp yourself, shining within & without, for your sake and the sake of those around you. May there be a lamp in your heart, one in your hand, one in your mouth. Let the lamp in your heart shine within you. And both the lamp in your hand & on your mouth shine out for other people. The lamp in your heart is your reverent adoration inspired by faith, the lamp in your hand fosters good example & good works, and the lamp on your mouth utters edifying speech. We shine out before people, not only by the good works we do, & the good words we say, but we shine also before the Angels, by constant purposeful prayer. In the presence of the Angels our lamp becomes deep reverent adoration as we sing attentively & pray fervently in their sight. Our lamp is our very single-minded resolve to please God, trust & love him. And to ensure that all our lamps keep shining brightly, let us stay close to the source of light and be ourselves, fully enlightened. I mean Jesus who shines as the light of the world, lights up our faith, shines on our good works, inspires our speech, makes our prayer fervent and refines our intentions. Then, when the lamp of this life goes out, there will appear for you, the light of unquenchable life, which at evening, will shine for you as the brightness of midday. The Lord himself will be an everlasting light for you: May He shines forever...’. ______________________________________ |
